By Gregg Hoffmann
MILWAUKEE – Ping pong played a role in opening U.S. diplomatic ties to China years ago.
Now, basketball has come to Milwaukee in an attempt to increase ties between Wisconsin and Chinese businesses.
The “MMAC China Council Bucks – Ducks Business Basketball Exchange” starts Tuesday and is hosting a professional Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team during for 12 days.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) China Council and the Milwaukee Bucks are cooperating in the tour.
“While the main focus of the Beijing Ducks trip to Milwaukee will be on basketball, this business and basketball exchange will also help open more doors for doing business between Milwaukee and China,” said Tim Sheehy, president of the MMAC.
“We are excited about working with the Milwaukee Bucks to bring the Beijing Ducks to Milwaukee, and we know that this will prove to be a great business opportunity to showcase Milwaukee to China and the rest of the world,” he said.
Robert Kraft, president of Openfirst, LLC and co-chair of the MMAC China Council, said, “This 12-day tour will put Milwaukee in front of a national and international audience of millions of basketball fans because of the Bucks – Ducks partnership. China is Wisconsin’s fourth largest trading partner, and this trip will give Milwaukee the chance to help demonstrate all that we have to offer.”
The Beijing Ducks basketball tour is the first time a professional Chinese basketball team has traveled to the U.S. The team will receive instruction from top-level college coaches, including Bo Ryan, University of Wisconsin-Madison men’s basketball coach; Tom Crean, Marquette University men’s basketball coach; and Rob Jeter, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball head coach.
Larry Harris, general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks, said the Ducks will play an exhibition game against a team of college stars and aspiring professionals, which will be known as the Midwest USA team, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the Bradley Center. Former Marquette All-American Bo Ellis will assist with coaching the Midwest USA team.
The Ducks will play a second exhibition game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11, in Madison at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Field House. Bo Ryan, UW-Madison men’s basketball coach, will coach the opposing team. Both games are free and open to the public. Ticket information will be announced soon.
This is not the first time Milwaukee has hosted an international basketball team. In 1987, the Soviet National Team took part in the first McDonald’s Open held in Milwaukee. This tournament was the first time any NBA team hosted an international team.
In addition to basketball activities, the Beijing Ducks will also visit various Milwaukee and Madison businesses and attractions and meet with business leaders and Chinese community leaders. The team will also take a one-day sightseeing trip to Chicago.
“Basketball and the NBA are continuing to become much more international, and we are pleased that the first time a CBA team is coming to the United States it will be visiting Milwaukee and using the Milwaukee Bucks’ home court and training facilities,” said Harris.
“The Chinese have a lot of enthusiasm and passion for basketball, and we believe this trip will help the Chinese people to become even more familiar with Milwaukee, its businesses and the city.”
According to Harris, the NBA is very popular in China with tens of millions of Chinese watching the NBA because of Yao Ming, who played in the CBA before joining the Houston Rockets in 2002. In recent years, basketball has become China’s second most popular sport after soccer, and the NBA has been working to increase its exposure in China.
The NBA’s latest effort included a Basketball Without Borders program in China, where young players from China and more than a dozen other Asian countries attended a camp with NBA players and coaches.
The Beijing Ducks are owned by the Shougang Corporation – China’s fourth largest steelmaker – and are one of 14 teams in the CBA, founded in 1995.
The Ducks recently played in the inaugural Singapore Cup, a professional Asian club basketball tournament. That appearance marked the first time a CBA team played competitive basketball outside of China.
Three of the team’s most widely recognized current and former players are Mengke Bateer, Jiao Jian and Min Lu Lei – the Ducks current head coach. Bateer recently practiced and played with the Chicago Bulls in the Reebok Summer Classic in Las Vegas. Bateer will be joining the Ducks in Milwaukee.
“As cities around the country and world compete for growth opportunities in the global economy, the MMAC China Council Bucks – Ducks Business Basketball Exchange is a perfect opportunity for the Milwaukee region to grow in the China market,” said Ulice Payne, Jr., president of Addison-Clifton, LLC, which has an office in Shanghai. Payne is co-chair of the MMAC China Council.
The Beijing Ducks trip is being underwritten through private funds from Openfirst, LLC; Addison-Clifton, LLC; Associated Bank; Cannon & Dunphy; Foley & Lardner; Grace Matthews; Harley-Davidson; Heartland Funds; Novo 1; Pacific Strategies & Assessments; PS Capital Partners; QuadGraphics; Robertson Ryan & Associates; The Polacheck Company; and VISIT Milwaukee.
The MMAC’s China Council provides guidance to MMAC member companies currently doing business or exploring business relationships in China. The group made a preliminary trip to China in May 2004 to set the foundation for expanded business relationships.
That groundwork will be expanded with another China Council trade mission in September, followed by an official delegation led by Mayor Tom Barrett to Beijing, Ningbo and Shanghai in October.
